Entries in Zero Dark Thirty
(11)

Sony/Columbia(NEW YORK) -- The mother of a 24-year-old man who lost his life during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers on 9/11 is upset that a voicemail message he left on his family's answering machine on that day was incorporated into the Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty.

Connecticut resident Mary Fetchet tells the New York Daily News that she was not asked by producers of the film for permission to use the recording left by her son Bradley Fetchet, who worked inside the South Tower.

Zero Dark Thirty begins with a montage of audio recordings of calls made by people inside the towers during the 9/11 attack. The Oscar best picture nominee dramatizes the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Mary Fetchet tells the Daily News that in her son's message, "You could tell that there was fear in his voice. He said he had just seen someone fall from the 90th floor in the other building and that he loves me."

She says she learned from another family of a 9/11 victim that her son's message was included in the montage.

Mary says, "[W]hen family members have to revisit this...to take his last words to me before he died, just, it's counterproductive to one's healing process. I don't object to the film being made. But I do object to them taking the liberty of including my son's last message to me."

A rep for Zero Dark Thirty distributor Sony Pictures Entertainment says in a statement obtained by the Daily News that the filmmakers began contacting "a number of family members of the victims of the 9/11 attacks, including some whose voices can be heard on publicly released tapes," before the movie was released.

In addition, a source tells the newspaper that a studio rep had informed Mary's family about the use of Bradley Fetchet's message in the movie. The source adds the recording was in the public domain.

Columbia Pictures(NEW YORK) -- We may never know the identity of the real-life Maya, the name of Jessica Chastain's CIA operative character in Zero Dark Thirty who located Osama bin Laden. Still, friends of the top secret agent say she approves of Chastain's performance.

A retired special-ops soldier who shot bin Laden and who is a friend of "Maya," who also hasn't been identified for security reasons, tells Esquire that Chastain's performance was "awesome."

"They made her a tough woman, which she is," he continued, marking his first public statements about the film.

And while he had other criticisms of the film, such as mission tactics, the soldier said Zero Dark Thirty was "fun to watch."

"They Hollywooded it up some," he added.

Zero Dark Thirty is a nominee in the Oscars' best picture category. In addition, Chastain is nominated for her performance.

Columbia Pictures(NEW YORK) -- Zero Dark Thirty was a bright spot at the box office over the weekend.

The drama about the hunt for Osama bin Laden landed in first place over the weekend, earning an estimated $24 million. The film opened in theaters nationwide on Friday following a very limited release last month.

Zero Dark Thirty no doubt benefited from the fact that it earned five Oscar nominations last week, including in the best picture category.

The horror spoof A Haunted House opened in second place, collecting $18.8 million. The star-studded drama Gangster Squad rounded out the top three, with a $16.7 million debut.

After topping the box office last week, Texas Chainsaw 3D tumbled all the way to ninth place, raising just $5.1 million.

Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Sunday, with estimated ticket sales:

-- Gangster Squad: Set in 1949 Los Angeles, this drama tells the story of a group of L.A. police officers who attempt to take down a mob king, played by Sean Penn. Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Michael Pena and Anthony Mackie also star. Rated R.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Zero Dark Thirty, the Kathryn Bigelow film that has earned plenty of Oscar buzz ahead of its nationwide release, is also receiving criticism from three senators who believe it is misleading.

Deadline.com has obtained a letter sent Wednesday by three members of the Senate Intelligence committee -- Dianne Feinstein, John McCain and Carl Levin -- to Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Michael Lynton in which they argue that the film inaccurately suggests that the use of torture resulted in information regarding Osama bin Laden's whereabouts.

The letter claims that Zero Dark Thirty "has the potential to shape American public opinion in a disturbing and misleading manner."

It adds, "[W]ith the release of Zero Dark Thirty, the filmmakers and your production studio are perpetuating the myth that torture is effective. You have a social and moral obligation to get the facts right."

Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal recently released a statement saying, "The film shows that no single method was necessarily responsible for solving the manhunt, nor can any single scene taken in isolation fairly capture the totality of efforts the film dramatizes.”

Zero Dark Thirty is currently open in New York and Los Angeles. It opens nationwide on Jan. 11.

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- The film Zero Dark Thirty is number one, as far as the National Board of Review is concerned.

The board, comprised of students, academics and filmmakers, has named the Kathryn Bigelow drama the best film of the year. It also gave the movie two other awards: best director for Bigelow and best actress for Jessica Chastain.

Zero Dark Thirty documents the United States' hunt for Osama bin Laden. The New York Film Critics Circle has also named it best film.

The National Board of Review awarded Bradley Cooper best actor honors for Silver Linings Playbook. Leonardo DiCaprio earned the title of best supporting actor for the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained.

In addition, the board revealed its top films of the year, aside from Zero Dark Thirty. In alphabetical order, they are: Argo, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Looper, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Promised Land and Silver Linings Playbook.

A full list of winners is available on the board's website, NBRMP.org.

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Zero Dark Thirty, the new movie from Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow that tells the story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, has been named the best film of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle.

The group also named Bigelow best director of the year.

In 2009, the Critics Circle named The Hurt Locker best picture and Bigelow best director -– honors that were duplicated at the Academy Awards.

The New York Film Critics Circle named Daniel Day-Lewis best actor for his title role in Lincoln and Rachel Weiss best actress for the film Deep Blue Sea.

Filmmaker Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie was named best animated film.

The awards, which were announced on Monday, will be handed out during a ceremony on Jan. 7.

The awards season is now shifting into high gear. The National Board of Review will announce its winners Wednesday and the Los Angeles Film Critics will reveal its picks on Sunday. The Academy Award nominations will be announced on Jan. 10. The Oscars will be handed out on Feb. 24.